1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the field of cover arrangements for hay bales in general and in particular to a retractable rain cover for hay enclosures.
2. Description of Related Art
As can be seen by reference to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,671,551; 4,488,565; 4,521,997; and, 4,248,343, the prior art is replete with myriad and diverse cover arrangements for hay bales.
While all of the aforementioned prior art constructions are more than adequate for the basic purpose and function for which they have been specifically designed, they are uniformly deficient with respect to their failure to provide a simple, efficient, and practical rain cover for hay enclosure frameworks having top and bottom horizontal framework segments connected to one another by a plurality of vertically oriented support struts.
As anyone who has livestock such as horses and cattle is all too well aware, once a hay bale has been soaked by rain, the animals will stop feeding on the hay until it has been replaced by a fresh quantity of dry hay that has not been exposed to moisture.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need among owners of livestock for a new and improved rain cover for hay enclosures that is simple to install and only requires a single person to retract the cover from the hay enclosure; and the provision of such a construction is a stated objective of the present invention.